♪ this morning on "early today," rethinking reform. the obama administration puts the brakes on calls for a swift leadership change in egypt. texas tragedy, drug violence along the border with mexico claims the lives of at least two u.s. high school students. and handbag heroin, a jewelry store attack is foiled by a purse-wielding woman. >> narrator: this is "early today" for tuesday, february 8th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with compromise in cairo. the united states is

reconsidering a push for swift reform in egypt, calling for a slower pace to progress, easing the call for a transition to power and president hosni mubarak to step down. whether egypt protesters accept the timetable for his stepdown remains to be seen. northbound's tracie potts joins us from washington with the latest. >> good morning, everyone. the u.s. is starting to wonder whether mubarak's immediate resignation may not be the best action because it would trigger a new election within 60 days mandatory, and given what's going on there, it's questionable whether they could organize free and fair electrics in such a short period of time, but government is now doing something to appease the protesters. the new cabinet has given government workers there a 15% raise in both salary and pension to alleviate some of the concerns over the economics and the poor conditions of so many people in that country.

reaction outside egypt? there are concerns about the peace agreement with israel from 1979, that treaty may not hold. prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel tells his parliament that the treaty possibly could be canceled, that egypt is unraveling from within. also, what started it all? we now know that the google marketing manager who set up a facebook page sparking a youth revolution has been freed. in a tearful television interview he said he was blindfolded for 12 days, but that he was not habm ñ lynn. >> tracie potts in washington for us. that issey, thank you. an islamic lewder came forward to claim responsibility for the bombing at an airport that killed 36 people. he says he ordered the bombing. it killed 36 people. he also says there will be even more attacks all in pursuit of an independent muslim state in

eastern europe. chechen rebels have been behind several incidents in reach years, including last year's moscow subway bombing that killed 40. this morning's washington post reports america's courts are reaching a crisis point because of an alarming number of vacancies of federal judges. according to "the post" federal judges have been retiring this year at a rate of one per week. the empty post has numerous consequences, including delayed trials. since president obama took office, vacancies have nearly doubled. there are 101 of them. 46 deemed judicial emergencies. experts blame republicans delaying tactics, slow white house nominations and a dysfunctional senate nomination system. it may not be much consolation to steelers and packer fans, but the 400 ticket holders who had to give up their super bowl seats because of installation problems will now get a free ticket to next year's game in addition to a refund triple the ticket's face value.

an nfl executive admitted yesterday they knew there were seating problems a week before the game, but they ran out of time to fix the issue. out-of-luck ticket holders were forced to watch the game from monitors or from standing room only platforms. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in mississippi, nasa showed how it plans to launch into the next phase of space exploration. rocket testing for nasa's new spacecraft has begun. the tourist ii will replace the nasa shuttle and is expecting to lift off next year on a cargo mission to the international space station. in washington, tough economic times have pushed one man over the edge. with a gun in his hand, a robbery suspect apologized numerous times as he held up a gas station. the man said he needed to feed his family and pay rent. the reluctant robber got away with $300, but not for long. he was arrested a few days after police viewed the surveillance tape. in minnesota, sled racers added a unique approach to a

traditional winter pastime. they made a bar stool showdown. there were plenty of wipeouts at the event and winners. the folks say it was such a hit, they plan to do it again next year. finally, here is why cleaning snow off your car roof can save lives. a trailing driver captured video of an 18 wheeler driving under an overpass. the snow scraped off. it created that giant blinding explosion right in the faes of that driver. that's got to be terrifying. now for a look at your national and regional weather. here's bill karins with the weather channel forecast. let that be a lesson to everyone. >> yeah. i think anyone that's driven in the north, you've done it before. you go down the highway, and you see the chunks flying off the truck. yeah, not fun. ié'r a big debate. do you pass them or stay in back? >> and videotape at the same time. you worry about your windshield.

the west is pretty quiet today. the middle of the country is the stormy spot. very cold air is plunging down from the north. we got all the warm air in the south coming up the gulf of mexico. it's combining for a pretty potent winter storm. we have winter storm warnings again for dallas. this is the third storm in two weeks. oklahoma city, and even up there towards kansas and colorado. now, our computers are projecting about 6 to 12 inches of snow from little rock to oklahoma city to wichita. that's the heart of the snow. areas down around dallas only one to three inches, but for them that's a big deal. as far as the west goes, colder air trying to work its way in. that cold front has cooled off much of california in the last 24 hours, so we're not as warm as we were, but the really, really cold stuff is still back here in the northern rockies, and it's not going to make it through the mountains. at least you're spared this cold blast. look at billings today. 9 for your high. denver at 8. in california we've dropped about 10 degrees, but at least we're dry in the pacific northwest. you're dry, too, in the 40s. that's a look at yourcalifornia

cooler with that breeze out there. yuma, one of the warm spots, 73. wednesday forecast coming up, lynn. >> thanks so much. also coming up, mergers makes a mood. the president makes his pitch, and the clear sign yet the economy is improving. maybe. early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, mark zuckerburg has a serious friend problem on facebook. >> the packers return home to a hero's welcome. carm elo anthony scores 50, but was it enough? you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry.

here are some of your top headlines this morning. authorities in mexico say at least two of three teenage boys shot to death in the border city over the weekend were u.s. citizens and high school students in texas. the boys were killed while they were looking at cars in a dealership. the astronaut husband of arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords is back at the nasa space center in houston training for his upcoming shuttle mission in april. mark kelly had been on leave since january 8th to care for his wife who was injured in an arizona shooting. russian scientists are warning that a giant asteroid the size of two football fields is on track to strike our planet on april 13th, 2036. however, nasa scientists disagree with the russian doom day scenario saying the odds are one in a quarter million. and an english woman has been dubbed the handbag heroine

after using her purse to fight off a gang of robbers armed with sledge hammers during a raid on a julie store. even more impressive, the woman, whose identity support known, appears to be in her 70s. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,161 after gaining yesterday. the s&p is up 8 points.ç the nasdaq rose 14. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei added 43 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng dipped 69 points. investors rallied around welcome signs of corporate confidence in the economy monday. newspaper stocks shot up on news of aol's plan to acquire on-line news site "huffington post." more fuel for the buying move. ensco said it would shell out more than $7 billion for oil driller pride international. credit card spending was up for the third time in december.

also a sign that main street is gaining confidence in the economy. china's second bank is raising interest rates. chinese officials hope the quarter percent hike will help cool the surgerying inflation. toyota reported a 39% drop in quarterly profit. in washington today, the government will release the findings of its investigation into toyota's recall of more than 11 million vehicles due to sticking accelerator pedals. lowe's shot up 4% thanks mostly to an impressive quarter at its cna financial insurance holding. hasbro, the number two toymaker in the world, managed to move higher despite disappointing earnings that narrowly beat estimates. president obama spoke to members of the chamber of congress yesterday as part of his push to jump start job creation. obama acknowledged high -- tight corporate budgets, but appealed to businesses appealing to their sense of patriotism to

"invest in america. alliot systems & will unveil plans for a less expensive version of nasa's aries i rocket. they could serve as a low cost carrier to the international space station. finally, who needs economic data when you have this sure sign the economy is on the end? the number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures last year, 13.1 million, is up 5% over 2009. take that to the bank. coming up, carmelo grounds the rockets, green bay greets their champions, and cleveland sets a record no one wants to hold. plus, things get physical between the lakers and the grizzlies. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead.ç the by reason of the headlines are a major winter storm for the midwest. your weather headlines are coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports in what could be a preview of what's happens in the nba playoffs, the celtics wilted in the fourth quarter against the bobcats in charlotte. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. an 82-game season can wear any team down. after two emotional games ç against the mavs and magic, the

celtics simply run out of gas in charlotte. taking on michael jordan fox, this one was back and forth until the final minutes. gerald henderson up and under with a reverse. charlotte up, 84-81. eduardo nahra added to the lead with a three-pointer. the celts played 44 minutes. but an nba game is 48. bobcats won it. off the turnover, lamar odum in for the dunk. he had a double-double. l.a. up five at the half. to the third, artest got the worst of that, a bloody nose, but stayed in the game. drilled a big three-pointer down the stretch. bring on the celts. lakers won it, 93-84. another game, another loss for the cavs. this time, the mavericks got the free win. the mavs were up by 8. dirk novisitsky isn't always pretty, but he has the alley-oop. cavs never got another shot off. when it rains, it pours,

cleveland drops an nba record 21 straight. 99-96. hair raising experience, nuggets and rockets, carmelo anthony tied his career high with 50. but even that wasn't enough. kevin martin scored 18 in the third. he finished with 37. rockets won it, 108-103. finally, the packers return to a hero's welcome. thousands lined the streets of green bay to greet the super bowl champs. the arrival was such a big event that every school in the city closed early so the kids could join the festivities. that's your early look at spoerts on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> narrator: early today sports is brought to you by ice blue aqua velva. christina aguilera fear for both her and their job. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, this year's wild record breaking winter causes neighbors in chicago to act unneighborly. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to on this tuesday morning. compared to the rest of the country, the west is looking very, very nice. today 57 in san francisco. it's a little cooler than yesterday with a cold front going through, but at least you're not dealing with a winter storm or arctic air like the middle of the nation. fine irks, today that's for like it. 70s, nice for you. l.a., some clouds mixed in. pacific northwest, you look dry today and tomorrow. notice temperatures continue to be seasonable. if not a little bit cool. 46 in seattle.

49 in medford. l.a., 75 tomorrow. that's looking really nice. if you are watching us on knbc 4, speaking of los angeles, california, see west african art right here in the american west. artifacts from both regions at the african-american journey west at the california african-american museum. that's your pacific event of the day. here's an early look atç headlines in entertainment. facebook founder mark zuckerberg has a painfully ironic problem, a facebook stalker. zuckerberg obtained a restraining order against a 31-year-old man who has tried to follow and threaten him. tmz reports the man also sent letters and tried contacting zuckerberg at several facebook offices seeking money for his financially strapped family. the new york post reports christina aguilera may have bigger problems than national anthem lyrics. source says say she's been acting eradically since her

divorce and after her film "burlesque" bombed. staffers wanted her to seek help following a hollywood party whenever reportedly wound up drunk. she threatened to fire the staff. 151 nominees gathered in beverly hills yesterday for an oscar luncheon. nicole kidman told reporters she's letting her 2-year-old daughter help determine what dress she'll pick. she says, "fingers crossed, guys. i may be wearing a tutu." >> that's the perfect excuse. >> the fashion police it was my kid. not fair to blame your kid, though. this is coming to us from wmaq nbc 5 news in chicago, illinois, where the long, snowy winter has made things kind of nasty between two neighbors. david's security camera came in handy when his shovel was stolen. who was the brazen thief? his neighbor. she took it to dig out her car.

she didn't return it, proving revenge is best served cold. david used his snow blower to bury her car under a new mound of snow. that's going to be awkward. >> i wonder if he confronted her. >> why not return the shovel? if you're going to borrow it or knock on the door and say, hey, buddy, can i borrow your shovel? >> i would like to see the video of her reaction when she saw her car snowed in. >> we missed that, but you can only imagine there was some screaming and probably fist throwing. yes. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

an age of hold tradition in cuba is back from the grave. its a fake burial complete with a casket and a body. to not worry. the man wasn't dead. the burial was meant to symbolize the death of colonial rule. the so-called dead man stayed in character down a 15-mile stretch of the city. with the holidays long over, it appears a norway reindeer has found an off season hobby. hundreds showed up to watch competitors ski down the raceway by way of reindeer. there were a few false starts and some minor mishaps, but for a lucky few, it was smooth sailing. the unique reindeer races are a tradition to honor herdsmen. hoping to meet your prince charming? now every girl can live out her fairy tale.

in london, a life sized wax figure of prince william allows ladies to step into kate middleton's shoes. if only for a moment. ladies can slip their finger through a replica of kate's famous engagement ring strategically placed on the prince's arm to recreate the scene of the royal engagement announcement. he hope that's fwlud down there pretty tight. one of those girls will yank it off and run away. >> now if we all had our mini lynn figure, whenever the power went out, it would be perfect. we could light it up. >> i guess so. i don't know what made you think of that, bill, but that is there's our random thought for the time. >> i'm going to order it. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in seattle, a hearing is scheduled for the man accused of making threatening phone calls to washington state congress jim mcdermott. the suspect, who was arrested last month just as the nation was coping with the tragedy in tucson left voice mails threatening to kill mcdermott and his family. the green bay packers will be welcomed back to their hometown.ç

this follows their super bowl win. instead of a parade, the champions have invited fans to come celebrate at lambeau field. today, the boy scouts of america marks its 101st anniversary. the organization was incorporated on this day in 1910. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. here from cnbc "mad money" man jim cramer on whether or not president obama will repair ties with wall street. and simon cowell stops by to talk about life after "american idol." now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com